


Mess After Mess

by bushViperCutie



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Diagon Alley, Funny, Gen, Hogsmeade, Hogwarts, Honeydukes, POV Severus Snape, Potions, Severus Snape is So Done, Snape Appreciation Month 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-16
Updated: 2020-06-16
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:07:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24751345
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bushViperCutie/pseuds/bushViperCutie
Summary: Severus is forced to restock almost all his potions ingredients at once all because of two clumsy students who never learn their lesson.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 11





	Mess After Mess

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: For Snape Appreciation Month, prompt 7: Snape and Potions.

#  **~~~ * ~~~ * ~~~ * ~~~ * ~~~**

“YOU INSOLENT CHILDREN! Look what you’ve done!” Severus stepped over the broken glass and spilled powders and liquids. “This is why wands are NOT ALLOWED in my potions classrooms! Clean this mess up at once. WITHOUT MAGIC.”

The two second years nodded and ran out of the classroom for brooms and mops. Severus took out his wand and put out the small fire starting in the student stores. All of the middle shelves were broken in half and only half the bottom shelf jars survived the flaming sparks.

It would take an entire afternoon at the apothecary alone to replace everything that had broken, although he wasn’t sure how soon he could replace the ingredients that had been fermenting since before he was born.

He shook his head and hung it low, cursing himself for thinking these children could be trusted alone for even a minute. He stormed out of the potions classroom, growling at the children running back in with dustpans in hand, and stepped into his office.

He closed the door and fell onto it, ripping his cravat from his neck and unbuttoning the top buttons to breath better. _Why couldn’t people be more MINDFUL of things?_ He had yelled about using magic in the classrooms countless times and yet he constantly caught students messing about with it.

“It’s like these wizards can’t spend five SECONDS without casting a spell of some sort.”

He threw his cravat onto a chair and sat at his desk, opening a drawer and taking out the list for the student stores. The middle shelves had half the materials alone… If he was their Head of House they would be neck deep in detentions but he knew what the others would say… _‘Just children’. More like obnoxious brats._

…

“Headmaster. I will be gone for the weekend and will be back Sunday night,” Severus wound his scarf around his neck and turned to leave Dumbledore’s office.

“Heading down to Hogsmeade, Severus?”

Severus turned, fearing what the old fool would ask of him, “I… am – but only for one thing.”

Dumbledore looked up from his book and smiled, “Then perhaps, you wouldn’t mind me asking for a few things… not too many, I can assure you.”

He sighed, “Fine. Give me the list.”

…

Hogsmeade was loud during this time of year. The leaves crunched under his foot, the birds chirped above everyone’s heads, and the chatter from the passersby cluttered the air. Even the signs sung their creaks under the influence of the cold wind. Hogsmeade village was at its peak during these types of autumn days.

Dervish and Banges was a shop at the corner of two intersecting streets on the opposite side of the village. There were two doors in the front of the shop; the yellow was the entrance to the store, and the run-down one lead right up to the living quarters of the old man that ran it.

He knocked on the rundown door and waited for the heavy footsteps and creaking of the old man coming down the interior stairs.

He opened it and tipped his hat, “Ah, Mr. Snape. Your order – ”

“Thank you, Mr. Dervish,” Severus took out the bag of coins he had collected from Dumbledore and held it out, “Your payment.”

Mr. Dervish nodded and turned around, picking up a heavy box from behind the door and handed it to Severus, “Careful there – ”

“Thank you,” Severus poured the coins into the man’s hands and clutched the box tight as he walked down the street towards Hogsmeade Station.

The train arrived precisely on time, like it always had since the first time he rode it.

He boarded and picked an empty car, luckily having to share it with no one since wizards didn’t really travel from Hogsmeade to London all too much and certainly not so early in October. He opened up the Daily Prophet – he had held back on reading it that morning specifically for the trip – and scanned the headlines, hoping for anything good to read.

It was all the same type ridiculous journalism that had people fretting for their lives every other weekend. First the journalists claim that the Ministry was allowing dragon egg trading between trainers will cause minors to harbor illegal eggs for fame among their peers and burn houses down, and now that the Ministry has banned it again, they are risking the lives of wizards by making the illegal harboring of dragon eggs that much more appealing to minors, causing houses to burn down.

…

It was as dark as the Hogwarts dungeons outside when the train arrived at London. He picked up his box and hailed a cab for Leadenhall Market where the Leaky Caldron entrance to Diagon Alley was located. The ride took fifteen minutes but the ‘quick’ chat with Tom the innkeeper took almost twice.

Unfortunately for him, Dumbledore had sent a message to confirm his room reservation and explained the whole story to Tom, who had wanted to hear the story all over again from him this time.

“What do you want me to say. The students were senseless. Therefor did something careless. And then the results were disastrous!” he sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Please,” he pushed the box into Tom’s arms, “take this to my room.”

Tom nodded and headed upstairs, finally freeing Severus from the social corner he had been forced into. He sat down at a stool and ordered the most expensive hot meal, _Why not, if I’m not paying._ After the meal he headed up and went to bed, knowing the next day would be incredibly long.

…

Severus unfurled the list of items he needed to buy from the apothecary and smoothed it out over his thigh. He could see the scrawled names better and reminded himself to stay on track and not let anything distract from the task at hand.

“Student stores ingredients only,” he whispered.

He opened the door and a gust of air rushed out of the cold shop. There were dozens of baskets stacked on tables with little cards for labels. All the jars were filled with powders and the barrels full of dried creature parts were all labeled as well.

He stepped in and started his way down the shop, looking at all the shelves and sticking his nose in every barrel. He opened a few jars and shifted the powders to check for any additives – none were found. This was his favorite store – or the only favorite one he didn’t have to be cautious to be found in – so he decided he’d take his time.

He lined up seven of the best-looking armadillo bile jars and inspected each one for the best color, holding them up to the light and checking each one against the rest. Next, he moved on to the Abyssinian Shrivelfig and picked out those with the longest stems. The bubotuber pus unfortunately required several whiffs that left him nauseous, but he recovered with the honeywater samples.

…

It took him from dawn to dusk to inspect and choose every last ingredient on the list. He made it out of the shop just before closing time and headed to his room, eager to get started. He spread out all the items on his bed and unboxed the jars. He rubbed his hands together, excited to start putting everything into place.

He took off his coat and quickly unbuttoned his clothes, shrugging everything off and slipped into his night shirt. The floor of his room wasn’t very dirty, so he brushed away some dust and knelt on the ground beside his bed.

He felt like it was Christmas already, having to unwrap all the ingredients from the brown paper and twine wrappings to organize it all in their glass jars. He cut some twine in half and put his hair up, not wanting it to get in his way.

He got to work putting everything where it was supposed to be. He stuck tape on all the jars and labeled everything with the contents and exact date he acquired it. All the jars were put back in the box, all but one. The newest find at the apothecary. The frozen glass frogs.

He had bought twenty of the little frogs and filled the jar up to the brim. He had been sending owls to the owner for years to stock it, and not just include it in the potions kits, and finally he had done just that. The one potion every student messes up every year he could now make them do again and again until they got it right.

…

The train ride back was long and uncomfortable but what made things worse is he had to go back into Hogsmeade for the items Dumbledore wanted. He took out the list and looked it over.

“Unbelievable,” he crumpled the list and headed into Honeydukes Sweetshop.

“Welcome, can I help you find anything?”

Severus turned to the woman at desk, “Yes. About… a pound… of Green Lime Jumpers.”

He stood by the counter as the woman took out a bag and filled it up, weighing it carefully and handing it over to him. He paid her and left, carrying the heavy box in one arm and the bag in the other. He delivered the bag to Dumbledore, refusing to stay and chat, and got to work restocking the student stores.

He set out all the glass jars on his desk and one by one they disappeared onto the labeled spots on the shelves – all except the jar of glass frogs, which he needed to place in his own stores cabinet later. He closed the door and locked it, hoping he wouldn’t have to go in to replace almost everything for another several years. He rolled his eyes and sat at his classroom desk, putting his head down for a second.

“Ah, Severus, thank you for the sweets.”

He looked up to see Dumbledore walking into the classroom with the two troublemakers behind him. He sat up and crossed his arms over his chest.

“I expect everything was able to be restocked,” Dumbledore looked over at the closet door with a large lock on it.

“Yes. This time,” he stared down the students.

“They feel very sorry about the whole thing,” Dumbledore smiled down at the students, “They didn’t mean to burn and break the shelves.”

Severus hummed in acknowledgment but rolled his eyes.

“Might I have the bag back? I’ll stay here, if you don’t mind.”

He sighed and headed out of the classroom into his office quickly spotting the bag of coins he had been given before the trip and grabbed it. He closed his office door and walked down the corridor to his classroom. He opened the door and stood there, staring in.

All of the frozen glass frogs were jumping about the classroom in all directions trying to escape. He closed his eyes for a moment before opening them back up and looking at Dumbledore. He had one of the tiny frogs stuck in his beard trying to jump away. One of the two students opened their mouth and spit out a tiny frog while the other dropped the clump of unfrozen frogs from their hand.

“I assumed you had bought a jar of Green Lime Jumpers for yourself.”

“Naturally. Headmaster,” Severus stepped back out and closed the door, shutting Dumbledore in with the mess he had created. “Out of sight, out of mind,” he headed to his office for a much-needed drink.

#  **~~~ * ~~~ * ~~~ * ~~~ * ~~~**


End file.
